Daniel 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
The Only Everlasting Kingdom
I am currently reading the story of the 101st airborne and their role in D-Day and beyond. It is interesting to hear the descriptions of France, Germany, England, the United States, Italy, Russia, and others, and to realize how much many of those countries have changed. Some have become stronger, and some have become weaker. All of them have seen many changes.
When you take a long view of history, you realize just how short-lived everyone and everything really is. The greatest of kingdoms come and go. The greatest of kings come to power, and then are deposed. The greatest of empires are nearly forgotten, and have to be dug up from the dirt to even be found.
The book of Daniel is interesting because we have a man who lived thousands of years ago who is writing about things that are, in some cases, yet to come. We are reminded throughout the book of the nature of God and His kingdom. God’s kingdom, unlike Nebuchadnezzar’s or the Persian’s, is an everlasting kingdom. His people may be taken into slavery, His temple may be burned and the treasures taken, but God is in control of all that. God’s kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
Verse 14 says, “His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Verse 18 says of Him, “For ever, even for ever and ever.” That is in contrast to those who will come to power in the intervening time between Daniel and the future that was to come. Verse 27 reminds us that God is “the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”
A lot of people go through life waiting to see who is going to come out on top so they can jump on the bandwagon. No matter what you see in the recent past or the short-term future, it gives us perspective to recall that God’s is the only everlasting kingdom.
It also gives us a sense of modesty. Sometime we can really be stuck on ourselves, our technology, our money, our wealth, and our power, and we forget that we are but the latest in a long string of people and nations who have come and gone.
Lastly, it gives us a sense of confidence. Verse 28 says that Daniel’s thinking troubled him, but he kept the matter in his heart. While the sheer magnitude of these things troubled Daniel, it is obvious that he was aware of the sovereignty of God. Daniel had a stability that overlived more than one kingdom. Realizing that God is Who He is should give us a certain confidence that can come no other way.
Remembering that God is the only One Who ever had or will have an everlasting kingdom can give us a sense of perspective, modesty, and confidence.